Microsoft to support Windows Phone 7 and 8 until 2014

Microsoft is set to support both Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone 8 until 2014, according to the company's website. The website has detailed dates for when the company is planning to halt support and cease security update rollouts (much like the Windows desktop operating system). It's a positive sign for all Windows Phone owners as their smartphones will continue to receive updates for many months to come.

Should you own a Windows hone 7.x device, you'll be eligible for security updates until September 9th, 2014. If you're running the latest version of Windows Phone, Microsoft will be wrapping up update support on July 8th, 2014. The Microsoft page detailing the support lifecycle also states the following:

"Microsoft will make updates available for the Operating System on your phone, including security updates, for a period of 18 months after the lifecycle start date. Distribution of the updates may be controlled by the mobile operator or the phone manufacturer from which you purchased your phone. Update availability will also vary by country, region, and hardware capabilities."

So what does all this mean for consumers?

You're set to receive update notifications on your Windows Phone (regardless whether it's 7.8 or 8) until 2014. Those on older hardware will have upgrade to then take advantage of future major releases, while Windows Phone 8 devices should see the next major version of Windows Phone, which will then kick off another support cycle.

As well as updates for Windows Phone 8, it's speculated that Windows Phone 7.8 isn't the end for legacy hardware. A leaked slide from a Nokia presentation (see above) shows another potential update that's set to roll out after Windows Phone 7.8. Microsoft hasn't revealed anything as-of-yet, so we'll remain hopeful that it's not the end of the road for Windows Phone 7.

Said updates are stated to be possibly under the control of mobile operators and / or hardware manufacturers. Availability may vary by country, region and hardware capabilities. With Windows Phone 8, Microsoft will be able to further take advantage of OTA (over-the-air) updates, enabling consumers to update their Windows Phones without plugging devices into computers.

Even then, if WP9.x is realeased by July 2014, that means another 18 months of support for WP9.x which isn't bad.
Also, this means the updates are based on OS versions and NOT hardwares. So if they leave us with WP9.8 in 18 months after July 2014, it probably means, we aren't getting any more support. I will be happy with even July 2014 as such with Lumia as I will be going for WP9.x devices!

This all assumes that carriers will play ball and push out updates expeditiously.
An update from WP8.x to WP9 is likely to be pretty major. I can see a major carrier like AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon not providing this update, and instead require a new phone purchase to get the new OS.

WP8 devices will get WP8.5 (if carrier/oem/hardware/region will allow that (worse situation than with WP7 line) )

There is no official confirmation that WP8 devices will be upgradable to WP9 and you should remember what that means (entire smartphone line becomes obsolete and incompatible with applications written to new version of OS).

Microsoft has stated that the WP9 will become available for WP8 devices.

WP8 could not be backported to WP7 for one simple reason: the security chip (TPM). Shy of them adding a second security chip, which won't happen anytime soon, then they have no hardware restriction that cannot "gracefully degrade" similar to how the camera system can work with, or without a flash (although that's not as low level, it is the same idea).

Search for "wp8 will get wp9" and select the IntoMobile. I wanted to put it here, but it won't let me.

It reads to me like Windows Phone 8.1 (if that's what Portico is) will be supported 'till July 2014, but before then there'll be another major release - probably 8.5 that'll be distributed to all current WP8 devices, and at that point the 18 month timer starts again.

Therefore in theory, if you bought a Lumia 920 on release day, it should be supported for up to 36 months (by Microsoft, anyway).

Iunno how you and other people are seeing it this way. Rich didn't say those exact words and said it would only be supported for 18 months after release... So how is this the case? I hope you're right and I'm wrong. But yeah I didn't see any mention of 8.5 or 9 anywhere so I don't get the logic too much.

Yes that should be right. 18 month support for wp8 and the clock starts over another 18 months for wp9. All current WP 8 devices are upgradeable to WP 9 so we should see 18 months of security support from when that's released. We just shouldn't expect them to to release new features for current WP 8 devices almost three years from now.

Nope. Your Lumia 920 will get the next version of Windows Phone, which will have its own support structure. Microsoft is doing the right thing here... you get a measly 18 months of "promised" updates with Android, which is really a shame as they don't even keep their promises there all the time. Windows Phone isn't perfect, but the level of support for these releases is a welcome development and is appreciated.

True. I shelled out for the top of the line Samsung Galaxy Tab when it was brand new fromAT&T. How many updates has it received since then? None!
The results: I will never buy another Android device, nor a Samsung device, nor would I consider shelling out for a Tablet from AT&T. Lack of ongoing support for a reasonable period is the best way to lose Customers, permanently.
Hello Nokia Windows Phone!

As WP7 phones are not upgradable to WP8, but all WP8 phones are upgradable to WP9, this makes sense as by the middle of 2014, presumable most WP8 phones will carry WP9 and so all windows phones will either be WP9 or WP7. No need to support WP8 for longer.

nice to hear of a long support term for 7.x. but we won't really get any cool features. just minor "bug fixes and performance improvements". so it's not all that great a news.
heck, they didn't even give sms drafts and multiple select in 7.8! and reject call with sms.
these things require dual cores? o.O

where do you get the impression apple supports iphone? they move on with new hardware faster then anyone else dropping support for earlier versions. how many new iphone apps dnt work on 3's and 4's already.

Says who? There is no such announcement and it coudl well be, in fact there are several clues (including the slide in the article) that indicate 7.8 is not the final update the first and 2nd gen WP devices will see.

It has also been announced that current WP8 hardware will update to the next major version which, in turn, will also have an 18 month support cycle. That means WP8 devices will have a life cycle of at least three years from the release of WP8 before they can't be updated to a next major version.

iOS 3.1.3 and above introduced lag to the iPhone 3g. Same thing with iOS5 on the iPhone 4. These things are well known. Older processors are not going to keep up. Upgrade your phone and be done with WP 7.x as soon as you're able to.

i think this article means that all those who have wp 8 and don't choose to update to wp9 will stop getting minor updates like 8.x from that date and those who update to wp9 will get a different and much later termination date
now the question arises why wouldn't one update to wp 9 .......i think for a wp 9 update we have to buy it like in the windows desktop environment IMO
what do u guys think?

I will get iphone next time. At least apple covers users for several years with software upgrade etc. Even iphone 3GS which came out 3 years ago got ios 6. Microsoft didnt do the same for users. As for me i got lumia900 and its already looks ancient after just 1 year.

Weird.. to me a Lumia 900 looks very much like the 920 as far as the UI goes.. And even 7.x looks alot fresher and modern then the ancient decade old interface of the iPhone5. Also, your 3GS does not run the same iOS6 the iPhone 4(s) and 5 run, but you knew that right? Your 3GS runs iOS6 minus;

Maps flyover

Turn-by-turn navigation

FaceTime on 3G

Hearing aid support

VIP list

Offline Reading List

Siri

So effectively it just runs what it did before only the version string changed..

WTF dude!
WP7 released in October 2010 will be supported till September 2014 - 4 freaking years! How does your maths fail you so bad that you think it is not longer than iPhone 3? Be real or a troll - you choose.

When the OS (according to some random version number) was released is irrelevant. What matters is that people are buying WP 7.8 phones today. Those phones will run out of support half way through the 2 year contract. These people do not expect that.

Of course it is not irrelevant. Microsoft makes OS and it supports OS. Hardware partners make hardware and they support hardware. You still get phones with Android Froyo and Gingerbread being sold. Low end handsets have their own market and users. So people buying WP7.8 will still get support till September 2014. They are in low end market. Those buying cheap WP7.x hardware are the people who don't care for the latest and the greatest to start with. So they won't care if they get an OS update or not because they don't care if they are using the latest and the greatest. They just want to spend less on their mobile experience. So these people do expect that. If I buy a Froyo or Gingerbread handset right now, I cannot expect it to upgrade to next version of OS. Simlarly if I buy an iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4, I cannot expect to get the next OS iteration.

If you are implying that WP8 users will only get 8.5 and not whatever comes after, I think there is a certain amount of FUD spreading with that. While there are no "for sures" in this game, the situation is quite different than 7.5 to 8 was. That was a complete architecture replacement. MS will not be looking to do that again any time soon. And if it is a simple set of upgrades that leads to WP9 (or whatever), I fully expect them to update existing phones (though possibly without carrier and some manufacturer support, of course, similar to 7.8)

And of course, if you want to have the best chance buy Nokia. They are the only ones that seem to be interested in the long haul.

"So what does all this mean for consumers?
You're set to receive update notifications on your Windows Phone (regardless whether it's 7.8 or 8) until 2014. Those on older hardware will have upgrade to then take advantage of future major releases, while Windows Phone 8 devices should see the next major version of Windows Phone, which will then kick off another support cycle."

i had read that a several times in the article as well as the comments but there are many who just see the headline and skim through the content quickly.....thats why many are are askin about this in comments

they should make another article around this content to explain and clear confusions

That's good for all the people that we have our devices with a contract of 2 years , but this is great support if you ask me better than android they don't even get a update and we will get support for 18 months so this is great.

This message is still quite vague. It's the first time I here about "security updates" on windows phone. So what does it all really mean? What happens after september 2014? What are the consequences of not updating? What will this mean for the apps? What will this mean for apps streaming content. What will this mean for clients. What will this mean fro the marketplace and windows phone store? What will this mean for app submission and bugsupport for apps?

"What are the consequences of not updating?" None, no new features are added, the features it has keep working.

"What will this mean for the apps?" They keep working, the app store keeps working, but the rate of new apps on the store slow down as the number of people with 7.8 devices drops.

"What will this mean for apps streaming content". Nothing, absolutely nothing. Updates do not affect the connection between the phone and the internet, apps will still stream content as they have before.

"What will this mean fro the marketplace and windows phone store? What will this mean for app submission and bugsupport for apps?" The support is only for updates, the store will continue to operate. As mentioned above the rate of apps published for 7.8 will decrease as the user base does. Microsoft, like apple and google, takes a 30% cut from app purchases in the store to pay for maintenance of the store and the app submission process.

Keep in mind most sub $350 android handsets will never see an update, yet they continue to work just fine, the store is still accessible, apps still work (well, sometimes, but that is more a cheap android thing than a support thing).

RELAX AND PAY ATTENTION! I think it just goes to show people in general don't know what's going on. They just want things to work and continue working. Many people would have been better off skipping this article, as they clearly don't understand what certain things mean. Its not their fault, as many of us are more tuned into tech matters and just have a better understanding of what this means. It may have been better for many to ask questions, get a nice response, and spread the knowledge kindly. However, there are people who clearly jump off the ledge without reading the entire article or reading all previous posts, just as there are people who like to respond to questions any a condescending tone, and berate people who asks them. Its a vicious cycle. We all need to relax, take a breath, and quit ruining things for everyone else(this goes for both sides)

Number out of nowhere for example:
- Windows Phone x.0 released.
- Enjoy it for 6 months, smaller updates if they feel like it.
- Windows Phone x.0.1 released.
- Enjoy it for 6 months, smaller updates if they feel like it.
- Windows Phone x.1 released.
- Enjoy it for 6 months, smaller updates if they feel like it.
- Windows Phone x.1.1 released, hopefully.
- Enjoy it for 6 months, but no more update promised for this device.
- Windows phone xi released, buy new device.

Problem is, the 18 months promise is from when the device is released. If you buy the device... say, 6 months after release, you only get 12 months of said promised update. It's like buying second hand gadget with transferrable warranty that's 1/3 expired.

WPCentral, please pull this article and rewrite it in much simpler terms. Those who don't read it carefully and don't use logic are greatly confused by it and spreading all sorts of misinformation. Thanks

An edit might not be a bad idea. Anyone who actually read it through with some degree of attention probably got it - by the end.. But the comments seem to show there's at least as much misunderstanding as understanding...

I do agree that is an interesting question. Why does support for WP7 end in September and support for WP8 end in July. Did 7.5 reset the support cycle? Is that difference because 7.8 reset the support cycle? Does that imply that WP8 will not get any updates that will reset the support cycle (other than the update to WP9)?

I've seen the responses by others stating that 7.8 reset the support cycle, but I do believe that these questions and this confusion is in fact understandable.

Well, you're loving it, so how can that be a bad move? It will get updates for long after your update cycle. There will always be a bigger better model coming soon, but if you love your phone, that's a win. :) I also have a 920 and love it. Hell, we bought my wife's 900 after the 920 was released because it was so cheap, and it's still an awesome phone that does everything she needs and more.

No, not in my opinion at least, imagine having bought the L900 6 months ago! not to say its a bad phone but you know what I mean, it not even getting wp8... Im pretty confident us L920 owners and other current high end wp8 devices will get wp9 which makes it a good purchase in my mind

Yeah, it is annoying not being able to connect without zune. The problem is WP8 is relatively standalone with OTA updates and such. The current WP8 software on windows 8 is really basic and fairly rubbish. It would require a huge over hall to implement WP7 support on Win 8 or RT. I'm not saying they shouldn't do it, I just wouldn't be too optimistic.

In the end its part of why I upgraded to a Lumia 620. It's cheap and honestly compares quite favourably in every aspect to even last years high end 7.8 devices.

That would pretty awkward for MS to announce WP9 in such a way. But, anyway, people are trying to see this article in the mist negative way possible. WP is dead, game over (joining the parade, who knows, might be fun :) )

So, if Verizon gets the 928, Does this mean Microsoft will stop supporting it in July 8th 2014 ? That is not 18 months as it said. Thought it was release of a phone or is it just the OS ? Wow, not even 15 months never mind 18 months. Glad I wont sign a contract for it...

That 18 month window SHOULD be when a phone model is released, NOT when the OS is released. So WP9 goes final, we dont see phones in the stores for 3 months after, So the 18 months is already 15 months and what happends when a carrer like Verizon (trophy example) does not get phones till almost like 9 months later ??? Does that mean we will only get 9 months out of a 2 year contract for support for updates ?

I hope someone figures out how to Unlock/Root WP8 devices, As if they release WP 9 on July 9th, no devices will be supported and our only way to upgrade is in a hack of some type or buy a new device and that is BS when current models are dual core devices.

I understand Microsoft's point of view but, this sounds like a good way to screw the end user. So lesson learned, if a new model is released with WP8 in the next few months, DONT BUY IT because you take the chance of having an outdated phone and less than 1/2 a year....

MS supports the operating system, not the hardware. MS itself is still supporting every WP since it debuted 2,5 years ago. I bought my L800 the day it came out it's still supported and will be for at least more than one year, so I fail to get your logic.

This is somewhat an tangent of an answer to your question. Right now I have a HTC HD 7 running on T-Mobile's 4g monthly program. $30 dollars a month but only 100 minutes (I don't talk a lot on the phone). I bought my phone without a contract about ten months ago. The phone was bought new but came out in November 2010!

I was able to update from Zune/T-Mobile from 7 to 7.5. However neither HTC or T-Mobile has released 7.8 for my phone. I've been able to do the cab update method via instructions in the forum from member sinlessearth here at the site, in order to update to the 7.8 version that came out two days ago. That was an fairly easy process and did not require any sort of rooting or anything like that.

I love that freaking phone. It is so much more stable than the two Android phones that I was running on Virgin Mobile. Those phones drove me frakking crazy with reboots and weird occurances. I only got one update for either of those versions of Android. There are some apps that I do miss. Mostly the official Redbox app and a couple of others. I am too old to care much about Instragram.

As long as my Lumia 920 can run WP9 until 2015, I'm ok with this. If they do another trick like the 7.8 one, well, then I know what I'll do come January 2015. And it won't be "buying a new Windows Phone".

I'm with you there, but honestly it would be suicide to do that again, but to be fair I now tend to believe the technological reasons, seeing the committed support to WP7. WP7.x are still pretty valid devices, and support until Sep 14 is more than fair. I'm a firm believer WP8 devices will be upgradable to new OS versions.

The only thing I wonder is if the support for WP7 until 2014 isn't the result of: 1 - people NOT buying WP8 when they bought a WP7 not even 1 year before (condradicting Microsoft's hope that they could replicate Apples hability to make people buy new iPhones every year); and 2 - the fact that 7.8 is a huge flop which hasn't even arrived to all WP7 devices (actually, has only arrived to a few)

"for a period of 18 months after the lifecycle start date"
This not fair, in US we sign 24 month contracts so MS support ends before the 2 year contract ends, what about people who purchase phones few months after the phone is released ?

God... It's not the phone, it's the operating system, as long as your phone is upgradeable you're good. Example: see above, but I say it again my Lumia 800 will have support, at least Sep 2014, and I bought it one year ago, that adds up to 3 years, because it had the 7.8 upgrade. I like to help, but I'm giving up....

I will probably have the latest windows phone by July 2014, so this sounds good. I just hope my games, achievements and stuff like that carry over.
when i went from phone 7 to 8, some game purchases like angry birds, were forcing me to re-purchase because of some xbox live integration issue.

That is true. For some reason angry birds on phone 7 is not live branded. But phone 8 version is. So when I got my 820 if I wanted angry birds I had to pay for it again. Eventually I simply decided not to buy anymore rovio games.

Actually he should have specified that it was Angry Birds Star Wars and Space that didn't carried from WP7 to WP8. I had the same problem. Because SW and Space on WP7 don't have Xbox, you had to buy them again. Which is stupid. But luckily the games only cost 0.99€. It would be far worse had it been some of those who cost 4.99€ or 6.50€,

People may not be familiar with Microsoft, but this is the language they use.

For instance, windows 7 is three years old, and is officially no longer supported. That doesn't mean that Microsoft has orphaned Win7. It means that if you have a Win7 PC, you need to put ServicePack 1 on your PC. Microsoft is officially supporting Windows 7 SP1. It is more complicated than is strictly necessary, but it is how they do it.

That can only mean that windows phone 9 or what ever is next will be something windows phone 8 devices won't be able to handle either that or they will do an 8.9 to keep existing users as new customers.

The industry and everyone else for that matter needs to stick with the standard language prevent (or at least it used to be). It used to mean that UPDATES were were smaller and incrimental like 7.5, 7.8, 7.x and UPGRADES were larger, brand new version like 7.0, 8.0, 9.0.

That is pathetic! I have already been shafted as a Windows Phone 7.5 User who didn't get the 7.8 update. Now if I buy a Windows Phone 8 device I will only be supported for another 1.5 years at most when I am on a 3 year contract with my carrier? Get a F'ing grip Microsoft. Decide now, are you in the Mobile business or NOT?

Please learn to read. If not the article then at least the comments otherwise you are just trolling at this point whether you mean to or not. You're question/statement has been answered/replied to six-ways to Sunday.

Ok why is this so confusing for some of you? Devices that shipped with 8.x will get 18 months of support from the release of the OS version THEY shipped with. The new 18 months cycle after that only affects devices released AT THAT TIME. Current devices are NOT obligated to receive an additional 18 months of support.

I am currrently overseas and am intersted in WP's in general. But, I'm not sure when I get back I can get one in good faith. Just doesn't seem like it's gaining any traction in the marketplace. I don't want to get a phone that will no longer receive updates less then a year after I get the phone. Sorry MS, but unless something changes in the next 8 months you've probably just lost yourself a customer. With this announcement. Looks like Ballmer has been a failure... after, the demise of windows Phone and the Surface RT and Surface Pro all failed it's time for new leadership. I'm actually kind of worried about the next Xbox now...But I have faith they wont fudge that up to...

Oh my........... I can't believe how people can't read something, have it explained to them 50 times in essentially the same way, and still can't comprehend what is being said, or what it means! And we wonder why other countries excel, and we have fallen so far behind....... Sheeeesh!